New Jersey
‘Doesn’t get any better than this’: Veterans join battleship’s journey to Paulsboro
PHILADELPHIA — After 78 days spent in drydock here, the Battleship New Jersey made the first leg of its journey back home, guided once again by Coast Guard and powered by tugboats to get Camden’s historic ship to Paulsboro.
After a 6:30 a.m. call time, crews, passengers and other personnel milled around dock number three of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard the New Jersey was built in, waiting for the OK to board the ship by way of a steep gangway. Above them, the sun continued to rise, bathing the Black Dragon (one of the many nicknames for the ship) in golden sunlight.
Excited chatter, “copy that” muffled through radio static and the whirr of airplane engines decorated any rare moments of almost-silence Friday morning.
For one guest, stepping foot on the New Jersey once more was something previously unfathomable.
“You want the honest truth? I’m emotional as hell,” Vice Admiral Douglas J. Katz (USN, Ret.), who commanded the New Jersey from August 1987 to May 1989, said through a laugh.
“This ship and the crew that we had in that time period was special,” Katz said. During his service, the USS New Jersey sailed off the coast of Korea for pre-Olympics presence and represented the United States at the Australian Naval Salute.
Katz made his arrival onboard alongside his wife of 59 years, Sharon Katz; “Unbelievable,” he said when he first stepped off the gangway, taking in the scene.
Katz would later call the “shift colors” for the vessel as it left the Philadelphia dock, changing the flags on the ship from in-port to at-sea.
Former Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite was also a passenger on the ship.
“Being aboard this ship emphasizes the importance of sea power and of the U.S. Navy,” Braithwaite said. “Armies win wars, navies prevent them.”
More: Battleship New Jersey by the numbers. Here are some interesting facts
Maintenance on the Battleship New Jersey
In March, the 887-foot ship left Camden for the first time in 20 years to be drydocked in Philadelphia for a $10 million maintenance project.
“We came in thinking we were going to do three major projects, and we ended up doing five,” said Marshall Spevak, the museum and memorial’s CEO.
These projects included improvements like repainting and inspecting the hull, partially installing new teak flooring, proactive welding and sealing to prevent water leakages and more.
“We are just incredibly elated and frankly lucky that the hull was in such great condition,” he said.
During its time across the river, exclusive tours were offered for $225 per standard ticket, and passenger spots were also available for those who wanted to hitch a ride on the ship as it trekked to Paulsboro.
Tickets for the second leg of the return trip were still available as of Friday and could be purchased for $5,000 on the battleship’s website.
In May, Spevak told the Courier-Post that the ship was planning to reopen for tours soon after its return date as well as be a viewing point for July 4 fireworks celebrations on the river.
More: What the battleship means for Camden, and how it ended up here
Battleship New Jersey return celebration
To mark its official return to the Camden Waterfront on June 20, the Battleship crew is planning a homecoming celebration.
Doors will open at the ship’s pier in Camden at 11 a.m., and the ship is expected to return around 1:24 p.m.
Attendees are expected to make a $10 donation at the gate in order to participate in games, live music, food and drinks and more. Children under 12 can enter free.
Guests can park along Clinton Street, in Lot 1 across from the Freedom Mortgage Pavillion as well as at the Waterfront Garage.
Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@gannett.com. And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.
NEWARK, New Jersey — A United Airlines flight headed to Newark, New Jersey returned to the Los Angeles airport Monday about 40 minutes after taking off for an emergency evacuation after a reported fire, authorities said.
All flights at the LAX International Airport were ordered to remain on the ground for about half an hour during the flight’s return and evacuation, according to advisories from the Federal Aviation Administration. No injuries were reported.
The flight, which was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport returned to LAX to address an issue with one of the engines, the airline said in a statement. There was no mention of a fire, but the LA Fire Department said it responded and there was a fire that was contained as of an hour after the plane’s landing.
The flight took off at 10:43 a.m., began to turn around at about 11 a.m. and landed again at 11:19 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware.
The LA Fire Department said they assisted with the evacuation of more than 250 passengers and crew. Passengers exited the plane on the taxiway using slides and stairs and were taken to the terminal, the airline said.
The airplane was a Boeing 787-9, a variant of the popular line of 787 Dreamliner long-haul aircraft.
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Manasquan HS grad Matthew Solomon has special motivation in leading red-hot TCNJ. Montclair State, Stevens also repping the Garden State.
video David Buley’s dunk energizes CBA crowd as Colts win Shore title
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It was the kind of sequence that embodies everything we love about sports – and especially college basketball.
With 10 seconds left in the Saturday’s New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament final, TCNJ guard David Alexandre drove the lane, got cut off, spun around a whipped a pass into the paint as he fell backward. There to receive it was forward Matthew Solomon, a Manasquan High School grad, who finished his hard cut with a dunk that gave the Lions a two-point lead at Montclair State.
Then, on the other end, Montclair State star Jacob Morales had a long look at a game-winner with two seconds left – but Solomon closed out and blocked the shot as time expired.
Both teams are headed to the Division III NCAA Tournament, which unveiled its bracket today (so is a third New Jersey representative, Stevens Institute of Technology). It was an incredible moment on its face, so exhilarating that former Villanova coach and two-time March Madness champion Jay Wright spotlighted it on social media.
“That’s surreal,” Solomon said. “I grew up watching Nova, so to see that was really cool. He was giving Division 3 basketball some love, which is deserved.”
One of the best-kept secrets in college sports is just how high-quality D-3 hoops is, and Jersey has long been a hotbed, regularly sending squads to the Final Four. On the men’s side the Garden State’s last national champion was Rowan in 1996. That could change in the coming weeks.
But along with quality hoops, Division 3 ball features amazing stories, and the story behind Solomon’s heroics is even more incredible than jaw-dropping end to Saturday’s classic.
On his left wrist, the 6-foot-7 senior out of Spring Lake Heights wore protective tape over a wristband that read, “Paterno Strong” in honor of his cousin Billy Paterno, who died in 2024 at age 3 of leukemia. His parents, Point Pleasant residents Danielle and William, were at the NJAC title game.
“They’re an amazing family,” Solomon said. “The stuff they went through showed me what real strength looks like. Me facing adversity on the basketball court, when I look over and see them and look down on my wrist and see the Paterno Strong wristband, after what they did, I can keep playing for 40 minutes of basketball.”
Solomon finished the epic final with 22 points and 17 rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting, but he was quick to credit Saddle River Day grad Alexandre (24 points, 4 assists) and ace point guard and Don Bosco Prep grad Nick Koch (14 points) for their contributions.
For some context on the achievement: Montclair State was 24-0 and ranked No. 1 in all of Division 3 when TCNJ beat the Red Hawks twice in three-game span.
“Jersey basketball, you know how it is – the best in the country,” Solomon said. “We got a taste of playing the top team in the country and that definitely prepared us for what’s next, and hopefully we prepared them, so we can both show the whole country what New Jersey basketball is about.”
There’s one more powerful aspect to Solomon’s story. His father Larry Solomon died of Covid in February 2021, and a month later his brother Andrew Solomon hit the game-winning shot with one second left in the Shore Conference A final, capping a perfect season for Manasquan High. Andrew went on to serve as a manager with Monmouth’s basketball program.
“People are trying to compare my shot to his, but Andrew’s got me topped by a million,” Matthew said.
But between his father and his cousin Billy, “I’ve got people watching me from above,” Matthew said. “All the things I do are for them.”
Keep that in mind as TCNJ (21-6 overall, 14-4 NJAC) opens the Division 3 bracket against Johns Hopkins (20-7) Friday Randolph-Macon in Ashland Virginia. The winner will face either host Randolph-Macon (25-3) or North Carolina Wesleyan (21-6) Saturday at the same site.
“We know we can run with the best of them,” Solomon said. “We’re not pleased with just being here now. Maybe the past two years, just making it was enough. This year that’s not enough. We’ve got a special group.”
In a new wrinkle this year, the D-3 quarterfinals, semifinals and final will take place in Indianapolis, sharing a stage with the Division I Final Four. It’s a fitting reward.
“Playing Division 3 basketball has changed my life,” Solomon said. “You’ve really got to love the game, but I’ve built relationships with teammates, coaches and alumni – connections that I’m going to have the rest of my life. If I were to go back to high school, I would make the same exact decision a thousand times out of a thousand.”
Montclair State (25-1, overall, 17-1 NJAC)
The Red Hawks reached No. 1 in the nation after reeling off 24 straight wins to open the campaign. They average 92.1 points per game shooting a whopping 40.4 percent from 3-point range and hitting 13.1 triples per game.
They will play host to Maine-Farmington (22-5) on Friday, and if they win will host the winner of Bates (18-8) vs. Yeshiva (20-8) in the second round on Saturday.
Leading the way is senior forward Jacob Morales, a Montvale native, Pascack Hills High School grad and former Rutgers walk-on. The NJAC Player of the Year averages 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.
Sophomore guard and Trenton native Kabrien Goss (14.7 ppg), freshman guard and Morris Catholic grad Cristian Nicholson (11.4 ppg) and sophomore forward and Lenape High School grad Myles Primas (9.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) are key contributors.
Under head coach Justin Potts, the Red Hawks reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year and also made the field in 2022-23.
Stevens (18-9 overall, 10-4 MAC Freedom)
The Ducks are four-time MAAC Freedom champions under head coach Bobby Hurley, who won his 300th game at the program’s helm in February.
They will visit Christopher Newport (21-5) in Newport News, Va., on Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s second round at the same site against either Mount Union (23-3) or Washington and Jefferson (22-6).
Junior guard Tommy Scholl, the MAC Freedom MVP, averages 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Junior forward Harmehar Chhabra, a South Brunswick High School grad, averages 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists and recorded a triple-double (12 points, 11 boards, 11 assists) against Lebanon Valley last month.
Junior guard Kyle Maddison (14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.0 apg) and senior guard Matt Leming out of Haddonfield (9.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) add to an offense that shoots 47 percent from the field.
This is the program’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, all under Hurley. The Ducks reached the second round in 2022.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
A New Jersey animal shelter is asking for the public’s help after last month’s blizzard did heavy damage to its property in Ocean County.
On social media, Popcorn Park Animal Refuge posted a video and described the fury of the storm. saying that the blizzard “caused unexpected damage… impacting habitats, fencing, structures, and critical infrastructure.”
The nonprofit animal haven says its team “worked tirelessly to keep every animal safe during the storm,” however, “the aftermath has left us facing urgent repairs and significant financial strain.”
Photo: Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
The refuge says this winter has been “especially challenging.” It says “repeated severe weather has forced extended closures to the public, further limiting vital support and creating an added burden during an already difficult recovery period,” adding “we need our community now more than ever.”
Popcorn Park was established in 1977, according to its website. It’s part of the Associated Humane Societies — which bills itself as New Jersey’s largest animal welfare organization. Popcorn Park describes itself as “a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused, or elderly farm animals, birds, and wildlife (domestic and exotic).”
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